Limoges has most summer seats in 16 years; Volotea opens new base

Dubbed the city of the fine arts, the central French city of Limoges is particularly renowned for its pottery. But is also well-known for its old town and as a gateway to the countryside.

On 19 February 2026, Volotea opened its base there. It has one route, which is the PSO-funded link to Paris ORY, which is only 330 kilometres away. Flights operate 11-weekly and are, of course, timed for a day trip to the French capital. Cirium shows that it replaced Chalair, which last operated in 2023.

Volotea’s base has been pivotal

Cirium schedule data shows that Limoges will have 77,700 one-way seats in the all-important Q3 2026 (July-September). Capacity has risen by a quarter year-over-year, but is below of the prior record, held 16 years ago.

Three airlines will serve the French airport in the examined period in 2026. Ryanair plans 53,200 one-way seats (68% of the total), Volotea has 19,200 (25%) and Chalair has 5,300 (7%). ULCC Ryanair has served Limoges for 22+ years, while Chalair has done so since 2015.

Compared to the same three months in 2025, Chalair’s offering is the same, but Ryanair’s capacity has fallen by 7%, largely as its Marseille route ended in October 2025. Thus, the airport’s development is all about Volotea’s new base.

Cirium data shows that various other airports have served the airport in the past two decades. They include Air France (using regional carriers), British Airways, easyJet, Flybe and Twin Jet.

ORY is the new most-served route

Limoges has eight routes in Q3, of which two are domestic and six international. They include Marrakech, which launched in 2022 and caters to the diaspora and outbound tourism.

ORY is the airport’s top route, which is unsurprising. Volotea’s entry with its 11-weekly operation on the 156-seat A319 necessarily means it ranks first.

Some 19,200 one-way seats are available to ORY in Q3, which is overwhelmingly the market’s highest-ever volume. It is three-quarters above the prior peak, which was in 2006. Of course, this is only because previous airlines have always used regional jets or turboprops.

Since 2004, Limoges has lost flights from 16 airports. In order of seats, they are Liverpool, Southampton, Paris CDG, London LGW, Marseille, Nice, Ajaccio, Brussels CRL, London LTN, Edinburgh, Bournemouth, Newcastle, Birmingham, Porto, Bastia and Barcelona.